I know better. Oh, well.
Well, tonight we played a volleyball game (GO ROYALS!!!). We won (three cheers!). Are you tired of the parenthetical commentary yet? (No, way. That could never happen.)
The other team, frankly, was fairly easy to beat. I noticed something even before the game began- namely, they seemed out of sorts. Not into it. A "Do we really have to do this? We're just going to lose anyway" sort of mood, at least as far as I could tell.
Royals JV team (my team! Hurrah!) is not the best (sorry, but we aren't. We do need alot of work, but for what other earthly reason would we employ the efforts of such a lovely Coach?). Although our skill levels may have been on par skill wise with the other team, we held the winning card. Attidude.
If a girl lost a ball (like me, missing the first serve of the second game!), no one fussed, made a face, or groaned. Instead, everyone on the team shook it off and prepared for the next hit. Mistakes in the past are mistakes in the past. The future awaits. (The future awaits. Sounds vaugely reminisent of Star Trek). The Royals cheered for everyone- the other team included. Coach works us hard, but she tortures us in a good way. She doesn't stand at the sidelines, shouting at us, telling us everything we do wrong. Instead, she stands at the sidelines, shouting encouragement at us, and telling us what we can do better.
Sadly, the other team was a bit downtrodden. I never heard any of them cheering their teamates on. They didn't seem to be in it for the fun and satisfaction. (They might have, who knows? But they had an extrememly odd way of showing it...)
I know that if I had kept that missed serve as a chip on my shoulder, that chip would knock me off balance half the game. I would keep messing up, keep getting frustrated, and continue falling prey to that vicious circle. But my (amazingly awesome) teamates sure kept that from happening! When the other team was beating us, the Royals did not groan and grumble. Instead, it was a challenge . A challenge to do better. A reason to get happier (because we all love a challenge. Easy games are boring).
Had we thrown an attidude about it, I know for a fact that we would not have won. Whether you think you can or you think you can't, YOU ARE RIGHT. Attidude is merely portraying what you think and amplifying it. Sure, I got a bit nervous when the other team started racking up points. Sure, I was a little annoyed at the fact that no one could get a good pass (bump, for you oldies). But staying cheerful really helped. We were able to pull back through and win the game.
Attidude can make all the difference. I applaud my teammates for their good work.
